The big issue with battery swapping has always been the cost of the infrastructure. If there are to be enough batteries in circulation, this would require enormous investment by a manufacturer.
If every company used a different battery type, it would be both expensive and wasteful. However, if a battery in a docking station fits multiple bikes, it becomes more viable. Considering customer convenience, standardisation of swappable batteries and wide adoption of battery systems is vital, which is why the four member manufacturers agreed to form the Consortium, says Noriaki Abe, Managing Officer of Honda’s motorcycle operations. Honda views improving the customers’ usage environment as an area to explore cooperation with other manufacturers, while bringing better products and services to customers through competition. Honda will work hard on both fronts to be the ‘chosen’ manufacturer for customer mobility.
MOL to expand sharing of ship operation data
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. and Ship Data Center Co., Ltd. have agreed to share the data of about 180 MOL’s ships in operation targeted for MOL’s “FOCUS Project” 1through IoS Open Platform (IoS-OP) 2, the ship IoT data sharing platform promoted by ShipDC.
MOL had so far stored operation data collected from several vessels to IoS-OP, and has agreed to expand the sharing to about 180ships in operation. This data sharing will significantly increase the amount of ship operation data transferred in IoS-OP, and will enable the stakeholders to utilize the data shared in IoS-OP to enhance their corporate value through the pursuit of ship safety and economic efficiency, environmental initiatives, and the creation of innovations in the maritime industry to strengthen international competitiveness.
Commercial launch for this new mono-material, all-PET pack will be in April 2021.
Unilever Japan’sLux Luminique Sachet Set Limited Design represents yet another data point in the trend toward mono-material flexible packaging. The sachet-style pack design using a more easily recyclable mono-material PET film is set to launch in Japan in April, 2021. The company chose this material, which comes from the GL Barrier range of films by Toppan Printing, after successfully collaborating with Toppan on quality tests. With the problem of plastic waste receiving significant attention, demand for more eco-friendly packaging continues to increase, and companies around the world are taking measures focused on timeline targets for better circulation of plastic resources used for packaging and containers. Unilever has announced global commitments for a waste-free world, aiming to halve its use of virgin plastic, help collect and process more plastic than it sells, and ensure that 1